LC-MSMS 101 :: Getting Started with Quantitative LC-MS/MS in the Diagnostic Laboratory

Level:

Beginner

Prereqs:

None.

Location:

TBA

Instructor(s):

Laura Owen, PhD & Michael Wright

Laura Owen is a Consultant Clinical Scientist at Salford Royal Hospital, where mass spectrometry assays for a variety of small molecule and toxicology services are offered nationally. Prior to working at Salford Laura worked at Wythenshawe Hospital where she has experience of quantitative method development on both LC-MS/MS and exact mass equipment. Laura is a honorary senior lecturer at the University of Manchester, where she lectures on chromatography, mass spectrometry and the adrenal cortex on a national clinical science MSc programme. Laura has also acted as chair of the Association for Clinical Biochemistry’s special interest group for mass spectrometry.

Mike Wright is the Scientific Director at the Drug Development Solutions division of LGC, in Fordham, Cambridgeshire, UK. His team work on the development of assays for the monitoring of drugs and biomarkers, as drug development tools, in a wide variety of matrices. Prior to working at LGC, Mike worked in clinical diagnostics developing LC-MS/MS services for health trusts in the UK and Australia. Mike teaches on LC-MS/MS applications, considerations and troubleshooting and has contributed to a number of online training programs including the AACC’s Introductory Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry certificate.

Course Contact Hours

Sunday PM

Monday AM

Lunch

Monday PM

Tuesday AM

STARTS < Sunday14:00-18:00

Monday9:00-13:00

LunchMonday13:00-14:00

Monday14:00-18:00

> ENDS Tuesday9:00-12:30

Overview: Is your laboratory under pressure to purchase an LC-tandem MS or have the instruments arrived and your team are beginning on their mass spectrometry journey? This short course is designed for attendees implementing quantitative LC-tandem MS for patient testing who have laboratory medicine experience but no mass spectrometry training - clinical bench analysts, supervisors, R&D scientists, and laboratory directors.
After starting out with a basic chemistry refresher, theoretical concepts necessary for a robust implementation of clinical mass spectrometry will be presented, however, the main focus of the course will be on practical recommendations for:

Starting with MSMS, LC and sample extraction parameters

Choosing internal standards, solvents, and water, making reagents and calibrators

How to fine tune sample preparation, LC and MSMS parameters to achieve the desired assay performance

Pre-validation stress testing and method validation

Preventative maintenance and troubleshooting

Maintaining quality once your new LC-MS/MS assay has gone live

Using real-world examples, recommendations will also be given on:

LC-MS/MS system purchasing

site preparation and installation (dos and don’ts)

establishing data analysis & review criteria and an interface to the LIS

The course will be a steady mixture of lectures, tutorials and problem solving sessions with our goal being to present just enough theory so you can report high quality results, while opening a window to the depth and complexity of clinical mass spectrometry such that your appetite is whetted to learn more.
Previous exposure to the principles of clinical method validation, either theoretical or practical, is assumed. A glossary of common LC-MSMS terms/acronyms, and diagrams delineating basic LC and MSMS instrument components and functions will be emailed to attendees a week prior to the beginning of the course. This material will also be addressed at the beginning of the course, but the initial learning curve can be steep and review prior to the course will be beneficial if you have absolutely no previous exposure with LC-MSMS.

Julijana Ivanisevic, PhD is the head of the Metabolomics Research Platform (Senior Lecturer) at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne. Her research expertise is in mass spec­trometry-based metabolomics applications to biomedical research (brain metabolism, ageing, cancer metabolism), evolutionary biology and ecology. Her postdoctoral research was at the Center for Metabolomics at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, USA.

Elizabeth Want, PhD is a Senior Lecturer in Molecular Spectroscopy in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College, London and the Director of the Imperial International Phenome Training Centre. She joined Imperial College in 2006 after working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. Her research at Imperial College involves the development, optimisation and application of LC-MS methodologies for the analysis of biological samples, largely in the context of metabolic phenotyping. She applies these methods to biomedical research areas including toxicology, cardiovascular disease, neonatal disease and development, and neurological diseases.

Course Contact Hours

Sunday PM

Monday AM

Lunch

Monday PM

Tuesday AM

STARTS < Sunday14:00-18:00

Monday9:00-13:00

LunchMonday13:00-14:00

Monday14:00-18:00

> ENDS Tuesday9:00-12:30

Overview:

Metabolome: Downstream of Genome

Central Dogma of Molecular Biology – From Genotype to Metabotype

Historical Perspective of Metabolomics

Technological platforms (NMR, GC/MS, LC/MS) and Applications

OmicChallenge – Metabolite Diversity

Approaches in Metabolomics

Targeted versus Untargeted (work on the front end vs. work on the back end, instrumentation, etc.)

Experimental Design and Sample Preparation (depending on the approach)

Choice of Analytical Platform (depending on the approach and metabolites of interest)